Silver Spring--Elementary & Middle schools ranked highly--what is going on with the high schools? (Olney: real estate)

[kris12342004]

Hello! We're relocating to MD from VA and are trying to find a home in a good school district for around $500K. We found a home we really like in Silver Spring that is zoned to Cloverly Elementary and Farquhar Middle, both of which have a high ranking on GreatSchools. The high schools in the NE Consortium that the house is zoned to, however, don't look as good--J.H.Blake would be our assigned school. Nearby schools have similarly low rankings. Why is that? Do more people go private for high school? Anyone have any insights/advice? Thank you!

[bufflove]

Doesn't Cloverly feed into Briggs Cheney, not Farquhar? Anyways, I suppose the general answer to your question is that high schools gather from a larger area, geographically. Not all of those neighborhoods that feed into Blake mimic Cloverly. Personally, I wouldn't put a lot of stock in GreatSchools - the ranking numbers (1-10) are obviously a very crude indicator and can vary greatly from year to year. If I recall correctly, the number solely comes from averaging out standardized test scores which certainly isn't going to help you figure out how well a school will meet your kid's needs. I don't know if your kid(s) are already in high school or still a long ways away, but I'd concern myself more w/what programs each of the high schools can offer and how well those programs appear to be run. MoCo generally does a great job providing various levels of coursework as well as various IB (magnet) programs in case your kids end up having a specific focus in mind, e.g. Blake is the county's magnet school for the arts.

Ultimately, by high school kids are very split up based on ability level. Just make sure Blake (or wherever) offers the coursework and specific support you think your kid will need, whether that be AP classes, special education pull-out, or something inbetween.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by bufflove

MoCo generally does a great job providing various levels of coursework as well as various IB (magnet) programs in case your kids end up having a specific focus in mind, e.g. Blake is the county's magnet school for the arts.

Ultimately, by high school kids are very split up based on ability level. Just make sure Blake (or wherever) offers the coursework and specific support you think your kid will need, whether that be AP classes, special education pull-out, or something in between.

J H Blake is fairly small for county high school. With signature programs in arts and music, it might not be the best choice for your student. Students can attend other schools in the Northeast Cluster, where you might find a more appropriate program.

Blake also serves as the base school for kids in a subsidized housing complex along Good Hope Road, so they are among the least affluent in MoCo. Nearby Paint Branch HS also serves some lower-income kids from apartments.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by bufflove

Doesn't Cloverly feed into Briggs Cheney, not Farquhar?

If the OP obtained the information from a real estate site, it might not be accurate. One should always check the county school assignment tool to verify: School Assignment Tool

At any rate, the OP seemed to be looking for a New England village feel in other threads. I would suggest areas assigned to Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring. Olney, Brookeville, Ashton and Sunshine also might have more of that feel. She might also check Glenwood in Howard County, although homes tend to be pricey there. Generally the schools in Howard County rate better than the schools in eastern Montgomery County.

[kris12342004]

goldenage1, you already have me figured out. The house we are interested in is a small cape with lots of trees and fields around it--definitely has a New England feel. (BTW nothing against the mid-atlantic!) According to the school district website, those are indeed the assigned middle and high schools for the house. I know GreatSchools is problematic, and it's frustrating not to be able to get a better grasp of what the schools are truly like. From what I understand, the recently released US News and World Report Top High Schools also had a lot of conflicting info from the previous year--schools in the top 40 last year didn't make the rankings this year--so it's hard to feel like anything you read has much basis in reality. This forum has been great, though, and we are asking friends and colleagues familiar with MD too. Part of the challenge is that there are simply so many neighborhoods and towns to choose from, all with pros and cons. We spent the last decade in a pretty sparsely populated state, which had its downsides, but it was very easy to see what your (limited) options were. Thank you guys for your input and advice!

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by kris12342004

goldenage1, you already have me figured out. The house we are interested in is a small cape with lots of trees and fields around it--definitely has a New England feel.

FWIW, I think you should pick the house you like. By the time you kids are in high school the situation may have changed a lot, and the address could even be assigned to a different school. I am familiar with parts of Cloverly, and some certainly have a New England feel with larger lots.

From the parent reviews I read on Greatschools, the parents who do not like JH Blake High School have been much happier with Springbrook. Springbrook is part of the NE cluster, and it is relatively easy to transfer to a school within the cluster. Springbrook also has an Information Technology program and an International Baccalaureate. There are also decent private schools in the area, if you want to do that route.

[dropping_k]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

FWIW, I think you should pick the house you like. By the time you kids are in high school the situation may have changed a lot, and the address could even be assigned to a different school. I am familiar with parts of Cloverly, and some certainly have a New England feel with larger lots.

From the parent reviews I read on Greatschools, the parents who do not like JH Blake High School have been much happier with Springbrook. Springbrook is part of the NE cluster, and it is relatively easy to transfer to a school within the cluster. Springbrook also has an Information Technology program and an International Baccalaureate. There are also decent private schools in the area, if you want to do that route.

Agreed!! I grew up in Cloverly area, right off of Briggs Chaney Rd . Back when I was in High School, Blake just opened up and no kids went their (just 9th and 10th grade). Spring Brook used to be considered a really good School and Paint Branch not so much. However things have changed after 12 years. I hear Paint Branch is now the better school to go to compared to the other two. Either way things always change. The schools attract kids from a large area since they get to choose which high school they want to go to. Generally, Cloverly it is a nice area to live. Their isn't many good places to eat so you will find yourself driving further away when you want to eat out. Traffic can sometimes be really bad on New Hampshire Ave. But the good thing is that the ICC is close by and you can quickly get around.